DOCSLIB.ORG

2011 Archeobotanical Analysis of Archived Soil from the James Fort

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
2011 Archeobotanical Analysis of Archived Soil from the James Fort Archeobotanical Analysis of Archived Soil from the James Fort Period Well Report Prepared for the Jamestown Rediscovery Project, Historic Jamestown May 18, 2011 A single soil sample collected from ER 2158 Layer Z within Stratum 177 of the James Fort well (ca. 1611-1617) was submitted for macro-botanical analysis based on its potential to contain tobacco seeds. Archeobotanical analysis of related contexts was accomplished by Steven N. Archer in 2006. Archer’s research provided the first systematic study of macro-floral remains preserved within the well, and documented the presence of tobacco (Nicotiana sp.). Archer conclusively identified one tobacco seed, and tentatively identified three others. These specimens represented a unique find, heretofore being the only archaeological tobacco seeds recovered from the period of the colonial encounter. There are myriad challenges to the recovery of archaeological tobacco seeds: They are extremely small, and the manner of tobacco cultivation includes topping the flowers of the growing plant to enhance leaf growth, necessarily preventing the propagation of seed. The current research effort was motivated by a desire to recover additional tobacco seeds from the well which could be used for destructive analysis (i.e. DNA testing) to determine more specific details about the kind of tobacco utilized and produced at the site during the James Fort period. Methods A single 975ml soil sample (JR2158Z, STR 177) collected in 2006 and archived under refrigeration was submitted to the archeobotanical laboratory of Justine McKnight in Severna Park, Maryland for processing and macro-floral analysis. The sample was completely waterlogged, with vegetable material and charcoal flecks visible in a matrix of wet soil. Archeobotanical materials were separated from sample sediment using a gentle water-screening technique through nested geological sieves following standard procedures (Pearsall 2001:83-84; Kenward et al. 1980:8-11) and used with success by Archer in his 2006 study. Sieve apertures measured 4mm, 2mm, 1mm, 500µ, and 250µ. Material measuring less than 250µ in diameter was discarded. The sample was processed in small batches, approximately 25ml at a time, in order to minimize abrasion of delicate plant artifacts. The 500µ and 250µ fractions were predominantly composed of coarse sand. To facilitate the recovery of small seeds, these fractions were subjected to additional processing: Each was placed in a conical sedimentation flask and gently swirled to produce a mild centrifuge action. Organic material separated from the sandy matrix and was poured onto a series of filter papers for review beneath the microscope. The residual sandy matrices were also scanned under magnification for the remains of seeds and cultivated plant parts. All sample components were kept moist during analysis, and all materials (both archeobotanical and residual) were packaged in deionized water for storage. All archeobotanical remains encountered within the >4mm size fraction were isolated for identification. Nutshells, seeds, cultivated plant remains and miscellaneous plant materials were removed from the >2mm/<4mm size fraction. Seeds, cultivated plant remains, and identifiable botanical miscellany were isolated from the >1mm/<2mm, >500µ/<1mm, and >250µ/<500µ fractions. Identifications were routinely attempted on all seed, nut and miscellaneous plant remains, and on a sub-sample of 10 randomly selected wood charcoal fragments and 10 randomly selected non- carbonized wood fragments (>4mm in size) in accordance with standard practice (Pearsall 2000). Identifications of all classes of botanical remains were made to the genus level when possible, to the family level when limited diagnostic information was available, and to the species level only when the assignment could be made with absolute certainty. Tentative identifications are preceded by “cf” (“compares favorably” with). All identifications were made under low magnification (10X to 40X) with the aid of standard texts (Edlin 1969; Kozlowski 1972; Hoadley 1990; Martin and Barkely 1961; Panshin and deZeeuw 1980; Schopmeyer 1974) and checked against plant specimens from a modern reference collection representative of the flora of James City County, Virginia. Results Organic preservation within the JR2158Z, STR 177 sample was excellent, with a great variety of carbonized (burned) and uncarbonized plant remains recovered through the waterscreening process. The residual fraction matrices contained a range of artifacts and ecofacts, which are generally described in Table 01. Wood remains are noted, where present, in the size fractions from which they were not isolated for identification. Table 01: Materials observed within the fraction matrices. Sample JR2158Z, STR 177. sample number JR2158Z sample description well fill, pollen sample collection/processing date 4/19/2006, 5/9/2011 volume (ml) 975 Quartzitic gravel, brick fragments, oystershell, bone fragments, >4mm glazed redware gravel, brick fragments, deciduous leaf fragments, wood >2mm/<4mm fragments, eggshells, fish scales, bone, amber glass coarse sand, brick fragments, bone, deciduous leaf fragments, >1mm/<2mm wood fragments, eggshells, fish scales sand, gastropods, insect parts, insect eggs, brick fragments, deciduous leaf fragments, wood fragments, spherical carbon >500µ/<1mm residue sand, insect parts, insect eggs, wood fragments, spherical carbon >250µ/<500µ residue Table 02: Inventory of archeobotanical remains recovered from Sample JR2158Z, STR 177. sample number JR2158Z from STR 177 sample description well fill, pollen sample collection date, processing date 4/19/2006, 5/9/2011 volume (ml) 975 WOOD (charcoal) (no of fragments > 4mm) 81 Carya sp. (hickory) 2 Quercus sp. (white oak group) 6 Quercus sp. (red oak group) 1 Pinus sp. (pine) 1 total identified fragments 10 WOOD (not carbonized) (no of fragments >4mm) 560 Quercus sp. (red oak group) 2 Pinus sp. (pine) 8 total identified fragments 10 NUTSHELL (not carbonized) (no of fragments > 2mm) 37 Carya sp. (hickory) 35 JUGLANDACEAE (walnut family) 2 SEEDS (not carbonized) (no of specimens) 40 Amaranthus sp. (pigweed) 1 Cucurbita sp. (squash) seed fragment 5 cf. Fragaria sp. (strawberry) 1 Liriodendron tulipifera (yellow poplar) basal fragment of achene 1 Mollugo verticillata (carpetweed) 2 Nicotiana sp. (tobacco) 4 Panicum/Setaria (panic/foxtail grass) 1 Phytolacca americana (poke) 1 Portulaca oleracea (purselane) seed 1 Rubus sp. (raspberry or blackberry) seed 4 Vaccinium sp. (blueberry) 5 CYPERACEAE (sedge family) three types represented 6 POACEAE (grass family) 5 cf. POLYGONACEAE (knotweed family) 1 UMBELLIFERAE (carrot family) 2 MISCELLANEOUS (not carbonized) (no of specimens) 24 cf. Cucurbita sp. (squash) rind fragments 2 monocot stem fragment 2 fungal fructification 4 bud 2 Quercus sp. (oak) flowers 10 unidentifiable rind/peel 1 amorphous 3 Sample JR2158Z contained a wide array of plant taxa which collectively document a cultural assemblage composed of fuel waste, foodstuff, building debris, seed stock, and weedy vegetation emblematic of an anthropogenic landscape. An inventory of the archeobotanical materials identified within the sample is presented in Table 02. The macro-botanical remains are discussed by general type below. Wood: Analyzed wood remains were limited to fragments >4mm in diameter. Eighty-one fragments of wood charcoal and 560 fragments of uncarbonized wood were recovered from this largest size fraction. Ten fragments from each wood population were randomly selected for identification. Identification of the random sub-sample of charcoal fragments documented the presence of white oak (Quercus sp. LEUCOBALNUS group) (six fragments), hickory (Carya sp.) (two fragments), red oak (Quercus sp. ERYTHROBALANUS group) (one fragment), and pine (Pinus sp.) (one fragment). The woods represented within the charcoal assemblage suggest the intentional selection of locally available, high-calorie woods for fuel. The uncarbonized wood was dominated by pine (Pinus sp.) (eight fragments) with red oak (Quercus sp. ERYTHROBALANUS group) (2 fragments). Figure 01: Comparison of carbonized and uncarbonized wood types identified. 100% 90% 80% 70% Pinus sp. (pine) 60% Quercus sp. (red oak 50% group) 40% Quercus sp. (white oak 30% group) 20% Carya sp. (hickory) 10% 0% wood charcoal n=81 wood (not carbonized) n = 560 Nutshells: Two species of nuts were identified within the JR2158Z sample. Thick-walled hickory (Carya sp.) shell fragments totaled 35 specimens. Two fragments of black walnut (Juglans nigra) shell were also recovered. All nutshells were uncarbonized. Seeds: Uncarbonized seeds from the well sample totaled 40 specimens. An array of economically important species are represented, including four excellently preserved tobacco (Nicotiana sp.) seeds (see Figure 02). The remains of comestible plants include pigweed (Amaranthus sp.) (one seed), squash (Cucurbita sp.) (five seed fragments), purselane (Portulaca oleracea) (one seed), raspberry or blackberry (Rubus sp.) (four seeds), blueberry (Vaccinium sp.) (five seeds), poke (Phytolacca americana) (one seed) and perhaps strawberry (cf. Fragaria sp.) (one seed). Other species represented include yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) (one fragment from the base of achene), carpetweed (Mollugo verticillata) (two seeds), panic or foxtail grass (Panicum/Setaria) (one seed), sedge (CYPERACEAE) (six seeds conforming to three basic types), grass (POACEAE) (five seeds), carrot (UMBELLIFERAE) (two seeds) and possibly
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Chemical Constituents in Leaves and Aroma Products of Nicotiana Rustica L
    International Journal of Food Studies IJFS April 2020 Volume 9 pages 146{159 Chemical Constituents in Leaves and Aroma Products of Nicotiana rustica L. Tobacco Venelina T. Popovaa*, Tanya A. Ivanovaa, Albena S. Stoyanovaa, Violeta V. Nikolovab, Margarita H. Dochevab, Tzveta H. Hristevab, Stanka T. Damyanovac, and Nikolay P. Nikolovb a Department of Tobacco, Sugar, Vegetable and Essential Oils, University of Food Technologies, 26 Maritza blvd., 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria b Tobacco and Tobacco Products Institute, 4108 Markovo, Bulgaria c Angel Kanchev University of Russe, Razgrad Branch, 3 Aprilsko vastanie blvd., 7200 Razgrad, Bulgaria *Corresponding author [email protected] Tel: +359-32-603-666 Fax: +359-32-644-102 Received: 4 May 2018; Published online: 18 April 2020 Abstract Nicotiana rustica L. (Aztec tobacco) is the only Nicotiana species, except common tobacco (N. tabacum L.), which is cultivated for tobacco products. The leaves of N. rustica, however, accumulate various specialized metabolites of potential interest. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evalu- ate certain classes of metabolites (by HPLC and GC-MS) in the leaves, the essential oil (EO), concrete and resinoid of N. rustica. Three pentacyclic triterpenes were identified in the leaves (by HPLC): betulin (252.78 µg g−1), betulinic (182.53 µg g−1) and oleanolic (69.44 µg g−1) acids. The dominant free phen- olic acids in the leaves (by HPLC) were rosmarinic (4257.38 µg g−1) and chlorogenic (1714.40 µg g−1), and conjugated forms of vanillic (3445.71 µg g−1), sinapic (1963.11 µg g−1) and syringic (1784.96 µg g−1).
    [Show full text]
  • PLANTS THAT HELP KILL INSECTS 767 As 8 Percent of Anabasinc in Hybrids of Dichloridc, and Then Removing the Sol- A^ Glauca and A', Rustica
    Plants That Help Kill Nicotine is the chief insecticidal principle in tobacco. It belongs to the class of compounds known as alkaloids, Insects which are basic, nitrogen-containing plant products having a marked physi- ological action. Other related alkaloids, Ruth L. Bushey notably nornicotine, also may be pres- ent in tobacco. Nicotine derives its name from Nico- tiajia, the genus of plants to which to- In June 1943, DDT was revealed to bacco belongs. The genus was named the American public. Floods of pub- for Jean Nicot, who introduced tobac- licity told of its amazing powers as an co into France in 1560. Chemically, insect killer. Announcements of other nicotine is 1 -methyl-2- ( 3-pyridyl) pyr- synthetic insecticides have followed in rolidine. Most preparations that con- rapid succession. It is not surprising tain it have a strong tobaccolike smell. that many who read those accounts as- Its boiling point is 477° F., yet it evap- sumed that insecticides of natural oi'ates rather rapidly at ordinary room origin, derived from plants, arc out- or outdoor summer temperatures. It is moded and of little importance now- peculiar in that between 140° and adays. The assumption is far from true. 248° F. it is soluble in water in all pro- As each new synthetic ins(x:ticide is portions, but above and below those studied and the ramifications of its temperatures its solubility is limited. It toxicity to man and animals explored, is highly toxic to warm-blooded ani- the problems of removing its residues mals and to most insects, but because of from foods encountered, and its pos- its volatility it disappears rapidly from sible injurious effects on plants exam- products that have been sprayed or ined, we appreciate the value of insecti- dusted with it.
    [Show full text]
  • Regulation of the Government of Indonesia Number 109 of 2012 Concerning
    Unofficial Translation PRESIDENT REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA REGULATION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF INDONESIA NUMBER 109 OF 2012 CONCERNING CONTROL OF MATERIALS THAT CONTAIN ADDICTIVE SUBSTANCES IN TOBACCO PRODUCTS IN THE INTERESTS OF HEALTH WITH THE BLESSINGS OF GOD ALMIGHTY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA, Considering : that to implement the provisions of Article 116 of Law Number 36 of 2009 concerning Health, it is necessary to issue a Regulation of the Government concerning Control of Materials that Contain Addictive Substances in Tobacco Products in the Interests of Health; Bearing in mind : 1. Article 5 clause (2) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia; 2. Law Number 36 of 2009 concerning Health (State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia of 2009 Number 144, Supplement to the State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia Number 5063); HAS DECIDED: To issue: REGULATION OF THE GOVERNMENT CONCERNING CONTROL OF MATERIALS THAT CONTAIN ADDICTIVE SUBSTANCES IN TOBACCO PRODUCTS IN THE INTERESTS OF HEALTH. 1 Unofficial Translation CHAPTER I GENERAL PROVISIONS Article 1 In this Regulation of the Government: 1. Addictive Substance means a substance that causes addiction or dependence which endangers health, marked by behavioral and cognitive changes and physiological phenomena, a strong desire to consume the substance, difficulty in controlling its use, prioritizing the use of the substance over other activities, increased tolerance, and that can cause withdrawal symptoms. 2. Tobacco Product means a product that is wholly or partly made of tobacco leaf as its raw material that is processed for use by burning, sucking, and inhaling or chewing. 3. Smokeable means a Tobacco Product intended to be burned and sucked and/or its smoke inhaled, including kretek [clove] cigarettes, white cigarettes, cigars or other forms produced from the nicotiana tabacum, nicotiana rustica, and other species of plants or their synthesized equivalents which contain nicotine and tar, with or without additives.
    [Show full text]
  • Anthropology of Tobacco
    Anthropology of Tobacco Tobacco has become one of the most widely used and traded commodities on the planet. Reflecting contemporary anthropological interest in material culture studies, Anthropology of Tobacco makes the plant the centre of its own contentious, global story in which, instead of a passive commodity, tobacco becomes a powerful player in a global adventure involving people, corporations and public health. Bringing together a range of perspectives from the social and natural sciences as well as the arts and humanities, Anthropology of Tobacco weaves stories together from a range of historical, cross-cultural and literary sources and empirical research. These combine with contemporary anthropological theories of agency and cross-species relationships to offer fresh perspectives on how an apparently humble plant has progressed to world domination, and the consequences of it having done so. It also considers what needs to happen if, as some public health advocates would have it, we are seriously to imagine ‘a world without tobacco’. This book presents students, scholars and practitioners in anthropology, public health and social policy with unique and multiple perspectives on tobacco-human relations. Andrew Russell is Associate Professor in Anthropology at Durham University, UK, where he is a member of the Anthropology of Health Research Group. His research and teaching spans the sciences, arts and humanities, and mixes both theoretical and applied aspects. He has conducted research in Nepal, the UK and worldwide. Earlier books include The Social Basis of Medicine, which won the British Medical Association’s student textbook of the year award in 2010, and a number of edited volumes, the latest of which (co-edited with Elizabeth Rahman) is The Master Plant: Tobacco in Lowland South America.
    [Show full text]
  • SOLANACEAE 茄科 Qie Ke Zhang Zhi-Yun, Lu An-Ming; William G
    Flora of China 17: 300–332. 1994. SOLANACEAE 茄科 qie ke Zhang Zhi-yun, Lu An-ming; William G. D'Arcy Herbs, shrubs, small trees, or climbers. Stems sometimes prickly, rarely thorny; hairs simple, branched, or stellate, sometimes glandular. Leaves alternate, solitary or paired, simple or pinnately compound, without stipules; leaf blade entire, dentate, lobed, or divided. Inflorescences terminal, overtopped by continuing axes, appearing axillary, extra-axillary, or leaf opposed, often apparently umbellate, racemose, paniculate, clustered, or solitary flowers, rarely true cymes, sometimes bracteate. Flowers mostly bisexual, usually regular, 5-merous, rarely 4- or 6–9-merous. Calyx mostly lobed. Petals united. Stamens as many as corolla lobes and alternate with them, inserted within corolla, all alike or 1 or more reduced; anthers dehiscing longitudinally or by apical pores. Ovary 2–5-locular; placentation mostly axile; ovules usually numerous. Style 1. Fruiting calyx often becoming enlarged, mostly persistent. Fruit a berry or capsule. Seeds with copious endosperm; embryo mostly curved. About 95 genera with 2300 species: best represented in western tropical America, widespread in temperate and tropical regions; 20 genera (ten introduced) and 101 species in China. Some species of Solanaceae are known in China only by plants cultivated in ornamental or specialty gardens: Atropa belladonna Linnaeus, Cyphomandra betacea (Cavanilles) Sendtner, Brugmansia suaveolens (Willdenow) Berchtold & Presl, Nicotiana alata Link & Otto, and Solanum jasminoides Paxton. Kuang Ko-zen & Lu An-ming, eds. 1978. Solanaceae. Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 67(1): 1–175. 1a. Flowers in several- to many-flowered inflorescences; peduncle mostly present and evident. 2a. Fruit enclosed in fruiting calyx.
    [Show full text]
  • ALKALOIDS in CERTAIN SPECIES and INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDS of NICOTIANA» Although It Has Been Known for Many Years That the Main Al
    ALKALOIDS IN CERTAIN SPECIES AND INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDS OF NICOTIANA» By HAROLD H. SMITH, assistant geneticist, Division of Tobacco Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry, and CLAUDE R. SMITH, formerly chemist. Division of Insecticide Investigations, Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, Agri- cultural Research Administration^ United States Department of Agriculture INTRODUCTION Although it has been known for many years that the main alkaloid in the cultivated species Nicotiana tabacum L. and N. rustica L. is nicotine (C10H14N2), comparatively little analytical chemical work has been done on the wild species of Nicotiana. In 1934 Shmuk (lay stated that N, glauca contained an alkaloid other than nicotine that was not identified. The following year Smith (18) identified the principal alkaloid in this species as anabasine,beta-pyridyl-a'-piperi- dine. Concurrently, Shmuk and Khmura (17) reported that certain other species of Nicotiana contained alkaloids whose picrates had melting points different from that of nicotine, but again they were not identified. iV. sylvestris and crosses of this species with iV. tabacum were discussed in some detail. In 1937 Smith (19) determined the main alkaloid in Nicotiana sylvestris to be nornicotine (C9H12N2), and at approximately the same time Shmuk (16) reported: It is known that alcaloids differing in chemical structure are contained in different species of Nicotiana; thus, N. tabacum, N, rustica, N. alata, N. Langs- dor ffii all contain nicotine; N. sylvestris and N. Rusbyi [N, tomentosiformis Goodsp.] contain an alcaloid belonging to the secondary bases—^probably nornicotine, while N. glauca contains anabasine. Nicotine has been found also in Nicotiana attenuata (1), N, suave- olens (13) j and N.
    [Show full text]
  • Genetic Association Among Different Characters in Tobacco (Nicotiana
    Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2019; 8(1): 146-148 E-ISSN: 2278-4136 P-ISSN: 2349-8234 JPP 2019; 8(1): 146-148 Genetic association among different characters in Received: 03-11-2018 Accepted: 05-12-2018 tobacco (Nicotiana rustica L.) PJ Katba Research Associate, PJ Katba, BL Pandor and LN Gediya Regional Research Station, Anand Agricultural University, Abstract Anand, Gujarat, India Forty genotypes of tobacco (Nicotiana rustica L.) studied for correlations and path analysis during 2012- 13. The estimates of correlation coefficient revealed that cured leaf yield was positively correlated at both BL Pandor Department of Genetics and genotypic and phenotypic levels with days to flowering, number of leaves per plant, plant height, days to Plant Breeding, B. A. College of maturity, leaf length and leaf width, while it was negatively correlated with leaf thickness and reducing Agriculture, Anand, Gujarat, sugar content. Path analysis based on genotypic correlation showed that number of leaves per plant, plant India height and leaf length are important characters that exerted considerable direct effect on cured leaf yield revealing scope for considering these characters in selection programme for bringing out desired LN Gediya improvement in tobacco yield. Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, B. A. College of Keywords: Tobacco, correlation, path coefficient and Nicotiana spp. Agriculture, Anand, Gujarat, India 1. Introduction Tobacco is a Solanaceous crop and belongs to the genus Nicotiana. Out of 66 species of Nicotiana, only two species viz., tabacum and rustica are under cultivation. The Nicotiana rustica varieties known as Vilayati and Calcuttia are characterized by short plant with puckered leaf and yellow flowers, and are mainly used for only chewing, hookah and snuff tobaccos.
    [Show full text]
  • Eurasian Economic Commission Technical
    Unofficial translation [Three Flags] EURASIAN ECONOMIC COMMISSION COUNCIL DECISION November 12, 2014 No. 107 Moscow On Technical Regulations of the Customs Union “Technical Regulations for Tobacco Products” In accordance with Article 3 of the Agreement on the Eurasian Economic Commission of November 18, 2011, the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission has resolved: 1. To adopt the attached technical regulations of the Customs Union “Technical Regulations for Tobacco Products” (TP TC 035/2014). 2. To establish that the technical regulations of the Customs Union “Technical Regulations for Tobacco Products” (TP TC 035/2014) shall enter into force as of May 15, 2016. 3. For Ministries of Health of the member states of the Customs Union and Common Economic Space, to study the issue of preparation of an international agreement on a ban on the production, import and circulation of smokeless tobacco products on the territories of the member states of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space. 4. To establish that prior to the adoption of an international agreement, stipulated by paragraph 3 of this Decision, the production, import and circulation of smokeless tobacco products on the territories of the member states of the Customs Union and Common Economic Space shall be carried out in accordance with the laws of the member states of the Customs Union and Common Economic Space. 5. This Decision shall enter into force 30 calendar days from the date of its official publication. Members of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission: On Behalf of the Republic On Behalf of the Republic On Behalf of the Russian of Belarus of Kazakhstan Federation [Stamp: EURASIAN [Stamp: EURASIAN [Stamp: EURASIAN ECONOMIC ECONOMIC ECONOMIC COMMISSION COMMISSION COMMISSION FOR DOCUMENTS] FOR DOCUMENTS] FOR DOCUMENTS] S.
    [Show full text]
  • Traditional Use of Tobacco Among Indigenous Peoples in North America
    Literature Review Traditional Use of Tobacco among Indigenous Peoples of North America March 28, 2014 Dr. Tonio Sadik Chippewas of the Thames First Nation 1. Overview This literature review arises as one part of the Chippewas of the Thames1 First Nation’s (CoTTFN) engagement with the Province of Ontario regarding tobacco issues and related First Nation interests (the “Tobacco Initiative”). The specific focus of this review is on existing academic literature pertaining to the traditional use of tobacco by indigenous peoples in North America. For the purposes of this review, traditional use refers to those uses of tobacco by indigenous peoples2 that may be distinct from the contemporary commercial use of tobacco, that is, recreational smoking. Most current knowledge about tobacco is dominated by the history of European and Euro- American tobacco use, despite the fact that the growing and harvesting of tobacco by indigenous peoples predates the arrival of Europeans (Pego, Hill, Solomon, Chisholm, and Ivey 1995). Tobacco was first introduced to Europeans shortly after Columbus’ landfall in the Americas in 1492, and was likely the first plant to have been domesticated in the so-called New World. Generally speaking, indigenous peoples of North America had four uses for tobacco: for prayers, offerings, and ceremonies; as medicine; as gifts to visitors; and as ordinary smoking tobacco.3 The traditional use of tobacco can in many cases be traced back to the creation stories of a respective indigenous nation. Although the meanings associated with such stories vary, tobacco is consistently described for its sacred elements: to bring people together; for its medicinal or healing properties; or as an offering.
    [Show full text]
  • 1. Production, Composition, Use and Regulations
    pp051-120-mono1-Section 1.qxd 29/04/2004 11:06 Page 53 1. Production, Composition, Use and Regulations 1.1 Production and trade 1.1.1 History The common tobacco plants of commerce had apparently been used for millenia by the peoples of the Western hemisphere before contact with Europeans began in 1492. The plants were cultivated by native Americans in Central and South America. Tobacco often had religious uses as depicted in Mayan temple carvings (Slade, 1997). The start of the spread of tobacco from the Americas to the rest of the world invariably seems to date back to 11 October 1492, when Columbus was offered dried tobacco leaves at the House of the Arawaks, and took the plant back with him to Europe (IARC, 1986a). Presumably, the technique of smoking was picked up at the same time. The plant was named ‘nicotiana’ after the French ambassador to Portugal, who is said to have introduced it to the French court. The tobacco grown in France and Spain was Nicotiana tabacum, which came from seed that originated in Brazil and Mexico. The species first grown in Portugal and England was Nicotiana rustica, the seed coming from Florida and Virginia, respectively (IARC, 1986a). Although claims were made that tobacco had been used earlier in China, no convin- cing documentation for this exists, but it is clear from Table 1.1 (IARC, 1986a) that tobacco was used widely and that a number of early societies discovered the effects of a self-administered dose of nicotine independently of each other, which implies that the plant was widely distributed, at least throughout the Americas.
    [Show full text]
  • Southern Garden History Plant Lists
    Southern Plant Lists Southern Garden History Society A Joint Project With The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation September 2000 1 INTRODUCTION Plants are the major component of any garden, and it is paramount to understanding the history of gardens and gardening to know the history of plants. For those interested in the garden history of the American south, the provenance of plants in our gardens is a continuing challenge. A number of years ago the Southern Garden History Society set out to create a ‘southern plant list’ featuring the dates of introduction of plants into horticulture in the South. This proved to be a daunting task, as the date of introduction of a plant into gardens along the eastern seaboard of the Middle Atlantic States was different than the date of introduction along the Gulf Coast, or the Southern Highlands. To complicate maters, a plant native to the Mississippi River valley might be brought in to a New Orleans gardens many years before it found its way into a Virginia garden. A more logical project seemed to be to assemble a broad array plant lists, with lists from each geographic region and across the spectrum of time. The project’s purpose is to bring together in one place a base of information, a data base, if you will, that will allow those interested in old gardens to determine the plants available and popular in the different regions at certain times. This manual is the fruition of a joint undertaking between the Southern Garden History Society and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. In choosing lists to be included, I have been rather ruthless in expecting that the lists be specific to a place and a time.
    [Show full text]
  • Developmental Instability in Leaves and Flowers of Nicotiana Tabacum
    DEVELOPMENTAL INSTABILITY IN LEAVES AND FLOWERS OF NICOTIANA TABACUM KAN-ICHI SAKAI and YOSHIYA SHIMAMOTO Department of Applied Genetics, National Institute of Genetics, Misima, Jnpan Received January 20, 1965 ORGANS which are periodically repeated in plants show a more or less quanti- tative variation in spite of being governed by the same genotype. This vari- ation is considered to be due, in addition to local fluctuation in environmental conditions outside and/or inside the plant body, to mistakes in the developmental course of organs resulting probably from the intrinsic nature of the organisms. That the magnitude of such quantitative variability of a given organ is geno- type-dependent and susceptible to selection pressure has been demonstrated experimentally for the lateral asymmetry of sternopleural chaeta number in Drosophila (MATHER1953; REEVE1960, and other publications). In plants, Nicotiana rustica was used for the study of within-line variability in plant height, flowering time, leaf length and number of capsules per plant ( JINKSand MATHER 1955) or the study of intra-individual variability of stamen and pistil length and leaf shape (PAXMAN1956). It was concluded from those investigations that the within-genotype variability in those characters was again genotype-dependent. The intragenotypic variability of quantitative characters which is considered to result from errors in developmental processes, though it might involve effects of undiscernible environmental influences, is called developmental instability, a phenomenon interesting from the viewpoint of genetics and evolution. For example, developmental instability in some traits of a panicle of rice induced SAKAIand SHIMAMOTO( 1965) to investigate developmental relationships among them. It is also of great interest to inquire into what role developmental insta- bility might play in adaptation, survival or fitness as well as production of higher organisms.
    [Show full text]